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Star Wars: Episode VII Gets an Official Release Date!

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LucasFilms, Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Mark your calendars, fanboys and fangirls!

It was just announced on StarWars.com that the highly anticipated next installment in the Stars Wars film franchise will hit theaters on Dec. 18, 2015.

Repeat. Dec. 18, 2015.

"We're very excited to share the official 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, where it will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture," said Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, in a statement.

Word of the release date comes on the heels of the news last month that Toy Story scribe Michael Arndt had exited the project and was handing screenwriting duties to Lawrence Kasdan and the sequel's director, J.J. Abrams.

Kasdan, of course, was responsible for co-writing two films in the original Star Wars trilogy—1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi.

"I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script," LucasFilm honcho Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement at the time of the announcement.

Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to begin shooting in spring of 2014.

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